Woman stops home invasion with rifle, now faces drug charges

A woman in Perry South scared a group of robbers away from her home early Monday by shooting at them with an AK-47-style rifle, according to Pittsburgh police.

Micaela Lindsey-Carpenter, 32, told police she was sitting in her living room in the 2700 block of Veteran Street about 2:35 a.m., when four or five masked men tried to kick in her front door.

She grabbed the rifle and fired several shots at the men, she said, then retreated to the kitchen, where she cut her hand while trying to cleara jam in the gun, she said.

Pittsburgh police officers noted blood in the house, exit bullet holes in the living room and a broken front window.

A man, identified in court records as Richard Polk, was with Ms. Lindsey-Carpenter during the incident and her 8-year-old daughter was asleep upstairs. Only Ms. Lindsey-Carpenter was injured.

When police arrived at the home for the robbery call, they saw the assault-style rifle, marijuana and other drug paraphernalia in plain sight. They obtained a search warrant for the home and found crack cocaine, powder cocaine, various unidentified pills, scales and drug packaging material. They also found a handgun, shotgun and a variety of ammunition.

Ms. Lindsey-Carpenter told police that all of the narcotics belonged to her, admitted that she sold them and said Mr. Polk was not involved in the narcotics operation, according to a criminal complaint. Mr. Polk was not arrested.

Ms. Lindsey-Carpenter was treated for her hand injury and arrested. She was booked into the Allegheny County Jail and released on a $25,000 bond.

She faces nine felony drug charges and 10 misdemeanor drug charges, as well as endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment.

Ms. Lindsey-Carpenter is to appear for a preliminary hearing in City Court on Dec. 20.